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Welcome, brothers and sisters.
Since our last update,
we’ve had two more special conventions
—both were held in Chile.
More than 4,700 delegates traveled
from 21 countries
to attend these two conventions.
There was a combined peak attendance
of over 17,000,
and 123 were baptized.
The special convention
touched the hearts of many,
including a delegate named Jonathan.
He said:
“The love you have shown us
at every step of this trip
“—from the welcome at the airport
to all the different activities,
“the beautiful gifts,
the friends at the convention,
“the wonderful reception personnel
at the hotel—
“has been unbelievable!
“We thank Jehovah
for allowing us to have this
incredible experience,” he said.
A delegate named Jésica said:
“Thank you for giving us a preview
of the new world!”
Recently, we’ve had a number
of significant natural disasters.
In mid-September,
Storm Boris affected Central Europe,
bringing heavy rain and powerful wind.
Hundreds of our brothers and sisters
were displaced
and received relief aid.
Meanwhile, southern Africa
continues to be affected
by an unprecedented drought.
Various branch offices, including Malawi,
Mozambique, and Zimbabwe,
have helped tens of thousands of our brothers
to have the food they need.
In late September and early October,
Hurricanes Helene and Milton
devastated the southeastern United States.
The two storms caused
devastating floods and landslides.
Sadly, three publishers were killed.
Over 11,000 of our brothers were displaced.
The storms damaged or destroyed
17 Kingdom Halls
and more than 2,500 of our brothers’ homes.
We continue to pray for all of our brothers
who are affected by these disasters.
And we are grateful for the many volunteers
who are supporting disaster relief.
Of course,
we also appreciate the generous donations
that allow us to care
for the needs of our brothers
who are facing these terrible situations.
On September 27, 2024,
authorities in Eritrea raided a private home
where a peaceful meeting
of Jehovah’s Witnesses was being held.
Initially, the police arrested
24 of our brothers and sisters,
including 2 minor children.
Later, the children were released.
This raid occurred nearly 30 years
after the president of Eritrea
revoked the citizenship
of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1994.
This decree is still in force
and prevents the majority
of Jehovah’s Witnesses
from leading a normal life,
owning property, running a business,
or even finding employment.
Days after the raid,
the police arrested and imprisoned
85-year-old Sister Letebrhan Tesfay.
Sister Letebrhan
was one of the first in Eritrea
to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
She was baptized in 1957.
Eight of her children
and eight of her grandchildren
are serving Jehovah.
Her daughter, Hadassa Zerisenay,
is imprisoned with her.
Sister Saron Ghebru
and her husband were also arrested.
Saron is about six months pregnant.
Saron’s brother, Henok,
is the longest-imprisoned brother
in Eritrea at this time.
He was first arrested in January 2005.
As of November 1,
64 of our brothers and sisters
in Eritrea are in prison.
We continue to pray
for the 223 brothers and sisters
around the world
who are currently imprisoned for their faith.
At the annual meeting on October 5, 2024,
there was a very exciting announcement:
Brothers Jody Jedele
and Jacob Rumph were appointed
to serve as members of the Governing Body.
We’re happy
to have them with us in the studio.
Let’s spend a few minutes
getting better acquainted with them.
Welcome, brothers.
We have so many questions
that we’d like to ask you.
But maybe you could help us
to know a little bit
about how you came to love Jehovah.
First, what helped you
to come to know Jehovah
so that you wanted to serve him?
Brother Jedele.
Well, I was raised in the truth.
Dad was baptized in the 1940’s,
and he served faithfully
until he passed away.
And Mom was baptized in the 1950’s.
They loved Jehovah and his organization,
so their love for Jehovah
helped my sister and me
form a relationship with Jehovah as well.
As I grew up and I learned the truth,
the truth just made sense.
But what really convinced me
that it was the best way of living
was the love among Jehovah’s people.
I remember during the summer vacations,
brothers and sisters
would come from around the country
to preach in unassigned territory near us.
And we didn’t know these friends
before they came,
but when they arrived,
we were instant family,
and it was simply because we
all served Jehovah.
And that had a real impression on me.
My parents were raised around the truth.
However, my mother was inactive.
And as I was growing up,
my father was also not a Witness.
Although we never really associated
with the congregation,
my mother did teach us basic Bible truths.
I knew God’s name is Jehovah,
I knew that I should only pray to him,
and I also knew that the earth
would be converted into a paradise.
Also, when I would visit
my paternal grandmother once or twice a year
who was a very faithful Witness,
I really felt drawn to Jehovah by her
because of her words
and her beautiful Christian qualities.
I wanted to know who Jehovah really was.
So when I was about 13 years old,
I asked my mother if I could study the Bible.
I reasoned:
“Well, if this really is the truth,
“then I want to be
one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
And if it isn’t the truth,
well, then I still want to be a good person.”
Interestingly, my mother had already
been wanting to come back to Jehovah,
so we progressed together.
Soon after my study started,
I realized that this was the truth
that I was looking for.
My mother was reactivated,
and a month later,
I was approved to be an unbaptized publisher.
Now, I’m happy to say that my
whole immediate family is in the truth,
and they continue to be
an excellent example of faith for me.
Brother Rumph, what motivated you
to pursue full-time service?
I would say that the good example
of mature pioneers
who made the pioneer service their career
as well as circuit overseers
who took an interest in me
really had a big impact on me growing up.
I saw how happy they were
and the stories they had of serving
where the need was greater
—some of them even expanding
their service into distant lands.
So all of that made me
really want to be a missionary.
So after high school,
I started in the pioneer service.
My story is similar to Jake’s.
Being around those
who enjoyed full-time service helped.
For example,
our parents had the pioneer spirit.
They both pioneered
until the children came along.
And later, Mom was able to start pioneering
again, and she continues until now.
During summer vacations,
we would auxiliary pioneer as a family.
We’d go in the ministry
with the circuit overseer.
And most summers,
we’d also visit Bethel.
All of those activities
helped us to see firsthand
that full-time service
was simply a great way of life.
So when I finished high school,
I began pioneering
and later was invited to Bethel at 19.
My sister and her husband
also served at Bethel.
What have been some of your assignments
over the years,
and how have you benefited from them?
Well, I was assigned
to the Cleaning Department
when I came to Bethel at Wallkill,
and it was a great crew.
We enjoyed working with each other.
And working on different teams
and on rotating schedules
helped me see the need
to be adaptable to get work done.
About two and a half years later,
I was transferred to the office
where I worked with staffing matters
and medical matters,
and I was even able to help missionaries
with medical care that they needed.
Later, Damaris and I got married
and we were transferred to Brooklyn,
where I also continued to work
with medical matters.
We served in Brooklyn until 2005,
when we left Bethel
to help take care of parents.
We both pioneered, and I served
on the Hospital Liaison Committee
and on the Regional Building Committee.
We came back to Bethel eight years later
for a two-week assignment
on the Warwick construction project.
I guess it’s lasted a little bit longer.
We’ve been at Bethel ever since.
In 2015, we were transferred to Patterson
to work with the newly formed
Local Design/Construction Department, or LDC.
In 2018, the LDC was moved to Wallkill.
So we went full circle.
We came back to where we started.
And then in 2021, I was assigned
to the Hospital Information Department.
And in 2022, we were transferred to Warwick
to work with Hospital Information Services.
In every assignment along the way,
it’s been a privilege to learn
from spiritual men and women.
Over the years,
it was faith-strengthening to see brothers
who carried heavy theocratic responsibilities
set the example of being kind and humble.
They were glad to share their knowledge
with the rest of us.
And when we were outside of Bethel,
we saw how hard parents worked
to raise their children in the truth
and how the brothers and sisters
loved to support theocratic activities.
Jehovah truly has wonderful people,
and I treasure those examples.
Yeah, as for me,
at the 1998 regional convention,
I remember
that there was a talk that highlighted
several countries where
there was a need for pioneers,
and one of those mentioned was Ecuador.
So I prayed about it.
I looked at my circumstances;
I did some investigation;
and after that convention,
I decided to write
to the Ecuador branch for information.
Well, after visiting to check it out,
I was happy,
with Jehovah’s help,
to be able to make the move.
And the territory
was so amazing at that time.
Many righthearted ones
were searching for the truth.
My dream to serve in a missionary field
was becoming a reality.
But, really, the greatest blessing for me
in serving in Ecuador
was meeting my future wife, Inga.
And then after marriage,
we continued serving
where the need was great there in Ecuador.
Several years later,
we were assigned as special pioneers,
and eventually
we started in the circuit work,
caring for a circuit that even included
some congregations in the Amazon jungle,
and that was a lot of fun.
Then in 2011, we were surprised
to be invited to the 132nd class of Gilead,
which was also a great privilege for us.
And after Gilead,
our life has seen a lot of changes.
We’ve served in different parts of the world
and enjoyed many different privileges.
But in all of these assignments,
what we’ve really learned
is to just be content
to do our best with what Jehovah
allows us to do each day
and to not get too worried
about what we can’t control.
Another thing that we’ve learned
is that it’s never the place
that makes an assignment special,
but it’s the people, really,
whom you get to serve with.
And we love those precious friends so much.
Is there a Scriptural thought
that has strengthened you
as you begin this new assignment?
I think for me,
the example of Joshua helps
and what Jehovah told him
when he received a new assignment.
Joshua had always been
a courageous servant of Jehovah for decades.
He walked through the Red Sea,
he led the Israelites in battle
against the Amalekites, he was a spy,
and he helped Moses for years
in very difficult situations.
Yet, at Joshua 1:9,
it’s interesting what Jehovah tells him.
He tells him: “Have I not commanded you?
“Be courageous and strong.
Do not be struck with terror or fear.”
And next, Jehovah reminds Joshua
of why he could take on his new assignment.
He tells him:
“For Jehovah your God
is with you wherever you go.”
And that’s really the point.
Jehovah is with us
as we take on new assignments.
I look back and I know he helped me
on all the other assignments over the years.
So I know he’ll help me
with this assignment too.
I also like that Jehovah told Joshua
that he was with him.
It was personal with Jehovah.
Jehovah hasn’t changed.
So it’s not about what I can do.
It’s about what he can do,
and Jehovah can do anything.
He personally supports each of his servants.
So I can trust that Jehovah
will be with me personally.
He will help me care for the new assignment,
and that helps.
I personally feel a lot like Gideon felt
when he received his assignment.
He came from a normal background,
and he didn’t think that he would really ever
be able to make much of a difference.
But Jehovah, through an angel,
reminded him of an important fact.
At Judges 6:14,
he told him:
“Go with the strength you have,
“and you will save Israel
out of Midian’s hand.
Is it not I who send you?”
The reality is, with Gideon’s own strength,
he couldn’t do much.
So Jehovah is basically telling Gideon,
‘You just bring what you have to offer,
and I’ll bring the rest.’
To be honest,
the thought of serving in this capacity
was scary for me and my wife.
But we just want to try to imitate Gideon
—to just do our best
and let Jehovah make up the difference.
This work is his,
and he will make sure
that it continues successfully.
Thank you, brothers.
I remember 30 years ago when I first started
serving on the Governing Body,
I had some of those feelings as well,
and I know He’ll help you too.
We are so happy to have you
on the Governing Body!
And we wish you Jehovah’s blessing
in your new assignment.
And we continue to pray for all of you.
We love you all very much.
From the World Headquarters
of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
this is JW Broadcasting®.

2024 Governing Body Update #7